The invention concerns an array and a method for illuminating the skin surface of a subject, especially the area of the face, for the purpose of examining and determining the effect of color on the skin surface.
Research has shown that different individuals exhibit different emissions in response to illumination with various colors of light, this being due to differences pigmentation, hair coloring, eye coloring and facial shape. Depending upon the color composition of the light illuminating the subject there is produced thereby a facial impression which can be considered to be more positive or more negative.
The task of the invention is thus to produce a reproducible environment in which it is possible to illuminate the face of a subject with variously colored light in a defined manner.
The invention is based principally upon on recognition that a reliable determination of the skin-surface based color effect can only be achieved when a defined illumination environment is established. Thus, according to the invention, multiple light sources of varying color are provided for illumination, of which the intensity is individually adjustable. Preferably light sources for the colors red, yellow, green and blue are provided, wherein however multiple light sources of the same color could be provided, and wherein the light sources for each color group could preferably be adjusted as one unit with respect to their intensity.
Light sources can be adjusted or positioned in particularly simple manner when they are provided upon at least one carrier rail. Preferably, the light sources are however provided on at least two parallel carrier rails provided spaced apart from each other. This has been found to be particularly useful, because in this manner the various colored light sources can be positioned in defined separation from the person being examined, and allow themselves to be used to produce a defined illumination effect. In order to avoid the adverse effect upon the evaluation by foreign light, and in order to avoid the possible blocking of the radiated light between the light source and the person being examined, the light sources are preferably provided on the ceiling of a darkenable room. A particularly preferred illumination situation is produced when the blue and green light sources are provided on a first mounting rail and the red and yellow light sources are provided on a second mounting rail. A subjective even illumination distribution is produced when on the first mounting rail three blue and two green light sources are provided in the sequence blue-green-blue-green-blue and upon the second mounting rail a yellow and two red light sources are provided in the sequence red-yellow-red. Therein the mounting rails with the blue and green light sources should be positioned closer to the person being examined than the mounting rails with the yellow and red light sources.
It has been found to be advantageous, when the subject being examined is included in the evaluation process. Thus a mirror should be provided in the illumination path between the light sources and the subject. The subject is herein positioned in front of the mirror and is illuminated by reflection off of the mirror. In this manner both the person providing the advice and the subject can simultaneously observe and evaluate the effect of the illumination with different colors. A defined and reproducible illumination situation results when the light sources are so oriented, that the maximal intensity of their illumination field is directed upon the subject being examined. Thereby the light sources are preferably designed as reflection emitters or triangular emitters.
In order to produce comparable results with respect to the color effect in spaces of different sizes, the relationship of the room height to the distance of the mounting rails or as the case may be light sources from the mirror should be approximately 4:3:2 and the relationship of the distance of the chair and the mounting rails from the mirror should be approximately 3:5:7. The room height is preferably selected as the reference size, so that for different room heights the distance of the mounting rails or as the case may be light sources from the mirror can be appropriately adapted or adjusted.
For changing the illumination intensity the light sources or light source groups are preferably adjustable in their intensity or brightness via an installed adjustment element. The adjustment element can for example be a dimmer, which is provided with a scale ranging from 0% to 100%. For illumination of the darkened room prior to or after the consultation, at least one supplemental white light source should be provided which is adjustable with respect to its intensity.
The examination and judging of a color effect upon a skin surface is inventively carried out in such a manner, that for illumination multiple light colors are employed individually and/or in combinations, wherein at least one part of the light color or spectrum is varied with respect to its brightness contribution. Preferably, in accordance with a first process step there occurs illumination sequentially with respectively one of the light colors with defined reference intensity, and in a second process step one of the light colors is selected for reference intensity and at least one further light color is mixed in with differing illumination contributions.